Bar Association slams High Court redevelopment plan as unworkable
SCMP · 1 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
The Hong Kong Bar Association has warned that the government's proposed phased redevelopment of the High Court is "not workable" and could undermine efforts to address judicial manpower shortages. In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post on Sunday, association chairman Jose-Antonio Maurellet SC said the plan, which could take 15 to 20 years to complete, risks making the judiciary an unattractive career option for top legal practitioners. He urged authorities to consider faster alternatives such as repurposing the existing District Court building, and recommended offering judges an ex gratia pay rise on top of inflation-linked salary adjustments to attract talent from the private sector.
Key Points
- The High Court Building in Admiralty is 41 years old and the government proposes merging it with the adjacent Queensway Government Offices to form a new court complex
- The judiciary told the Legislative Council last Monday that preparatory work had begun, with judicial administrator Esther Leung Yuet-yin estimating the project would take more than a decade
- Under the phased plan, the Queensway offices will be vacated and redeveloped first, followed by the current High Court Building being revamped and merged
- Maurellet identified two major bottlenecks constraining judicial efficiency: a lack of courtrooms and manpower shortages affecting trial turnaround times
- The association chairman suggested offering judges an ex gratia pay rise beyond inflation adjustments to attract senior practitioners from the private sector
Why It Matters
The warning from the Bar Association highlights a potential crisis in judicial recruitment at a time when court backlogs are already a concern. If experienced barristers are deterred from joining the bench due to prolonged uncertainty about working conditions, the quality and efficiency of Hong Kong's justice system could be compromised. The proposal for an ex gratia pay rise also signals that competitive compensation may be necessary to maintain the judiciary's ability to handle complex commercial and civil cases.
The warning from the Bar Association highlights a potential crisis in judicial recruitment at a time when court backlogs are already a concern. If experienced barristers are deterred from joining the bench due to prolonged uncertainty about working conditions, the quality and efficiency of Hong Kong's justice system could be compromised. The proposal for an ex gratia pay rise also signals that competitive compensation may be necessary to maintain the judiciary's ability to handle complex commercial and civil cases.